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Radio-Controlled Cyborg Beetles Become Reality

Posted by timothy on from the tsa-agents-didn't-show-enough-drive dept.

holy_calamity writes "DARPA's plans to create brain chips for insects so they can be steered like an RC plane are bearing fruit. Videos show that a team at Berkeley can use radio signals to tell palm-sized African beetles to take off and land, and to lose altitude and steer left or right when in flight. They had to use the less-than-inconspicuous giant beetles because other species are too weak to take off with the weight of the necessary antenna and brain and muscle electrodes."

11 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. I for one by Johann+Public · · Score: 4, Funny

    welcome our new remote control beetle overlords!

    1. Re:I for one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I am swarmed with the feeling that this will bug a lot of people.

    2. Re:I for one by tinkertim · · Score: 4, Funny

      What, no lasers?

    3. Re:I for one by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 5, Funny

      Patience, grasshopper.

      Oh...I've said too much...

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  2. Sweet, but needs a lot of work still by Fuger · · Score: 4, Insightful
    This is really cool, but there seem to be some serious limitations. (Yes, I know that's kind of the definition of "prototype.")

    "I'm sceptical about their ability to do surveillance for the following reason: no one has solved the power issue."

    If you can't monitor what they're doing without being in the same room, then the range is very small. On the other hand, if this could be scaled up to larger animals, perhaps the power would cease to be an issue. However, it does seem like the relative lack of sophistication present in these insects is what allows this control, in part.

    "It's not entirely clear how much control a beetle has over its own flight," Hedrick says. "If you've ever seen a beetle flying in the wild, they're not the most graceful insects."

    Still, if they can get the surveillance issue figured out, this could represent a significant advance is Search and Rescue -- use insects or small animals to access places that humans can't (collapsed buildings, landslides, etc.)

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    1. Re:Sweet, but needs a lot of work still by JimboFBX · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What is amazing if you think about it is how far and fast insects can go with so little energy consumption. In contrast, a simple little radio...

    2. Re:Sweet, but needs a lot of work still by GradiusCVK · · Score: 4, Funny

      if this could be scaled up to larger animals, perhaps the power would cease to be an issue

      I say we strap a diesel generator and a surveillance suite on an elephant. It's my understanding that even if somebody notices him in the room, they'll still act like they don't.

  3. I wonder... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this project will turn out better than "Acoustic Kitty" did...

    We've always wanted to be a fly on the wall; but having your secret spy weapon get eaten by an insectivorous plant would be pretty embarrassing.

  4. Who knows? by Tibia1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe these things will be moving by themselves soon...

  5. Re:Shame this is not genetic engineering by martin-boundary · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gah, then we have to flight bugs in space, eww.

    So, you don't want citizenship, do you?

  6. Too bad this technology only works by chrismiceli · · Score: 5, Funny

    in Africa. Where else will giant African beatles blend in?!